~ articles and trends for EA and other workforce professionals

Monthly Archives: June 2016

This is the 400th post on the blog I started in February 2011. Four hundred. With 365 days in a typical year, that’s the equivalent of writing a post each and every day for an entire year… and then, for roughly anothermonth or so after that. I’m not sure what to make of this much writing. Should I be proud? Or, with the scant number of views of some of my posts, maybe it means I just don’t know when to quit!

One thing I DO know is that my approach to writing posts has changed over the years. I was editing two monthly newsletters five years ago, but many great stories and announcements were too late for a particular newsletter – and yet the item would have been “old news” for the next one. Frustrating!

As a result, I really loved using a blog to share timely information that just did not work to get into print. I also enjoyed making links in various posts “live”, so that a reader could just click on to it, to get to the site. This was as opposed to the cumbersome process of asking readers to type URLs from stories into their web browsers, which is about the only option one has in print.

Over the years, I’ve published posts about contests, monthly observances, and other special occasions. I’ve written about big events that were going on in the news, and I’ve read pieces about what types of posts are more likely to be read and tried to incorporate some of those ideas. Still other weeks, I have had a hard time coming up with something — anything — to write about! I’ve finally taken a colleague’s advice to heart and started writing multiple posts at any given time to avoid having to deal with “writer’s block” later.

More recently, I’ve shared a lot more personal issues and observations, and I’ve learned that people really enjoy that. I probably should have done more of this much earlier.

But you learn all the time when you write. While 400 posts seems like a lot sometimes, and I wonder if I should keep going, on other days I feel like I’m just getting started. So if you’ll keep reading, I think I’ll keep writing!

I’ve been reading a lot of posts lately about sleep … or more specifically, the lack of it for many of us. Some people don’t think “sleep” is a serious problem. I beg to differ.

The Institute for Health and Productivity Management https://www.ihpm.org/ lists failure to address sleep as a major health and performance issue, although they are hardly alone in pointing this out. According to the National Sleep Foundation, https://sleepfoundation.org/ about 20% of Americans report that they get less than 6 hours of sleep on average, and the number of Americans that report that they get 8 hours of more has decreased.

Major studies and Sleep in America polls https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-polls have linked sleep deficits with poor work performance, driving accidents, relationship problems, and mood problems like anger and depression. Heart disease, diabetes, and other health conditions have also been traced to chronic sleep loss.

Today’s go-go, 24/7 society, with its endless stream of electronic stimulation, plus busy work and parenting schedules, and bad lifestyle habits like too much caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine are all to blame.

Doctors point out that sleep is just as important to overall health as diet and exercise, and yet many people don’t like to talk to their physicians about sleep issues because they just assume that hardly anyone gets enough sleep, so why bother to mention it?

If a lack of sleep is interfering with your work or personal life, you should bring it up! Insomnia, sleep apnea, and other health conditions could be at the root of the problem. It’s worth investigating because in such instances, medical treatment can help a great deal.

But in other cases, whether they realize it or not, people make more of a voluntary decision to not get enough rest… “I’m too busy with work to sleep that much,” some think.

Doesn’t it make more sense to wake up at least reasonably refreshed and get more done in your day, than to not get enough sleep night after night, and slog through the day with little to show for it? Now I don’t profess to get enough sleep all of the time – do any of us? Rather, I’m referring to a lack of sleep night after night after night.

All I know for sure is that sleep is something I need to take seriously, or suffer the consequences of being lethargic, cranky, or worse! Why would I want to feel like that day in, and day out? When you think about it, sleep is really a quality of life issue. I, for one, think that makes sleep deprivation a very bad idea.

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In today’s go-go-go, “gotta have it now,” 24/7 society, the concept of making an employee wait an entire year for a performance review makes no sense … if it ever did.

In my experiences, one boss “got it,” but the others did not. In some cases, employers call in employees as pretty much just a “checklist” of something required by HR, but that’s about all it is. The annual review could be something useful, instead it’s just another job to get out of the way.

Some do not conduct annual performance reviews. Ever. With this type of boss it can often seem as though the reason is, they are happy with your work … and so, why bother with a review? Sounds great right? To some extent, yes. The problem is, you may not have much of an inkling what they think you could be doing better, and so professional development is sorely lacking. Lack of reviews can also be horrible. I was once told on a Friday night, after work, to clear out my desk over the weekend. Without a performance review of any type, there was no warning. Zip. NONE. Maybe I was a tad naïve and should have seen that the ax was coming, but this boss had a good poker face!

In other instances, bosses are what I’ll refer to kindly as “ambushers.” You might know the type, like the masked men in the Old West who rode in seemingly out of nowhere to hold up a stage coach, you don’t know how you stand with this type of employer until he or she calls you in for your review and “lets you have it.” Since this may be some of the only one-on-one contact you have with your boss, being given a litany of things you’re doing poorly on the job takes you by surprise. Shock might be a better word. “What?” you think. “Cheez, couldn’t ‘Phil’ have let me know sooner if he was so disappointed with my work?”

Which brings us to the last type, the only ones who really “get” how to conduct an annual performance review … that is, don’t make them annual! Good bosses and leaders know how to conduct constructive criticism throughout the year, and don’t wait to tell you everything in one big, single meeting in which you might not be able to remember half of the “bad things” they’re telling you that you did (or didn’t do) anyway! Like good teachers and parents, good bosses use “teachable moments” to tactfully, calmly, tell an employee about something he/she did wrong … and then, here’s the kicker: tell you what NOT to do the next time!

Brief example: I once had a pretty good temper on the job, and thought I had an awfully good reason for swearing at my computer when I lost my story on a Friday afternoon. Only this was REALLY poor timing, as the production manager was bringing a customer through the newsroom about the same time. Needless to say I didn’t set a very good example!

My editor cordially called me aside, away from everyone else, and told me the next time I should go into the bathroom, hit the wall or something, and let out my frustrations there before returning to work. But do you think I would have remembered this lesson months later? I doubt it. We still had annual performance reviews, but it was mostly to go over one’s progress, there were no big surprises. In my nearly 30 years as a journalist, this was the ONE boss I had who “got it right.” ONE.

So there you have it… since so few bosses know how to conduct an annual performance review correctly… let’s do away with them already. “Rest in Peace, Annual Performance Reviews, Rest in Peace.”

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An image of a banner with a boxer fighter holding a championship belt.

When news of Muhammad Ali’s death came to light last weekend, it was hardly a shock as he had suffered from Parkinson’s and been in declining health for years. The bombardment of specials and highlights from his boxing career was also not a surprise.

But what I kept thinking about most wasn’t one of the Ali-Frazer fights, the Ali-Foreman fight, or any of his battles in the ring. No, what I REALLY thought about most was what Ali said, what he stood for, and how those things went far beyond the boxing ring. Consider some of his quotes and how they apply (or should apply) to our own lives:

“It’s lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believed in myself.” If we don’t believe in ourselves and what we can accomplish, who will? It’s too easy to play the blame game for our misfortunes, but there’s usually much more to it than that. Look in the mirror. Meeting and overcoming challenges, whatever they are, starts there.

“The will must be stronger than the skill.” Patience and perseverance in life is key in whatever we do. What’s the thing that separates star athletes like Ali from the mediocre ones? It’s often those “p words” I just mentioned. Champion boxers like Ali have a lot of ability, to be sure, but they also tend to outwork the competition. They train just a little harder. They refuse to give up. They are driven to succeed. Whatever it is in life, we should never give up either.

“Live everyday as if it were your last because someday you’re going to be right.” Appreciate the big things like friends and family, and don’t keep putting off dealing with problems. If you have a relationship that needs mending, mend it. If you have an addiction, then seek treatment. Whatever it is, never assume you’ll have “tomorrow” to take care of it. You might not.

“The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.” There is a saying that getting older is mandatory, but growing up is optional. Don’t waste time you’ll never get back. Never overlook the little things. Look around and smell the roses. And never “settle” for the status quo; keep learning, and keep striving.

So there you have it… Quotes from a late, great heavyweight champion boxer … but they are good lessons to live by no matter the occupation or personal issues we’re facing, don’t you think? RIP Muhammad…You left the world a better place.

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Take the mystery out of PTSD treatment. The short whiteboard video PTSD Treatment: Know Your Options reviews the best treatments. And visit AboutFace, a website where Veterans, their family members and clinicians talk about turning life around with PTSD treatment.

Managing PTSD is easier with the support of others. If you are getting treatment, or have finished treatment, there are self-help tools for managing stress. You can also view tips to help caregivers manage self-care: support for family and friends

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